On Wednesday evening, on the neutral ground near where Drummer was killed five days before, a crowd of 70 or so people gathered to honor his memory. Clutching candles, photographs and balloons, Drummer's friends and family remembered him as a fun-loving young man who adored rap music, skateboarding and his family.

"He was a free spirit who would do anything for anybody," said Anjanette Wright, Drummer's mother. Wright said her son loved to socialize, and was the life of every party. That's why she began to worry when she hadn't heard from him by 10 a.m. on Saturday, the day he was killed.

"It was his little brother's birthday on Saturday," said Wright, who lives in Dallas but was back in New Orleans for the weekend. "When he didn't show up we knew something was wrong. We talk every day, multiple times a day, and I started calling him Saturday morning and it went to voicemail. He was killed on his brother's third birthday."

The 3-year-old clutched his father's hand Wednesday with tears in his eyes.

"He asked me that last night," his father said. "If his brother is coming home."

A crowd gathered on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 to celebrate the life of 21-year-old Clifton Drummer IV, who was killed in a hit-and-run on March 1, 2014.

Drummer's godmother, Nannette Nelson, said the family panicked when it couldn't find Drummer.

"We started calling hospitals and the police on Saturday, but it was before Mardi Gras," Nelson said.

Tyran Strahan, Drummer's stepbrother, described Drummer as someone who "wanted to do everything."

"Since I've known him, since I was 5, no matter what happens, he's been my big brother," Strahan said between fits of sobbing. "He went through a phase of wanting to be an R and B singer, and he'd ask us to watch him sing and dance and ask us if he was good, and we'd always say 'yes,' because it was funny and we loved him...just the fact that I'm the big brother now. I can't believe I don't have a big brother anymore."

As the sun began to set, darkening the already gray sky, the crowd released the balloons - red, yellow, green and blue - and watched them float away. They then walked down the road to a location closer to where Drummer was hit. There, next to a tree, they set up a memorial, embraced each other, sang songs and prayed for justice.

Balloons released at the vigil for Clifton Drummer IV.

"I encourage the family to trust in the Lord," said the Rev. James Arlington, a pastor and Drummer's uncle. "We pray that whoever did this will do the right thing. We pray that justice will prevail."

The Drummer family has set up a donation fund at Fidelity Bank to help cover the burial costs, which amount to roughly $8,000. To donate, use the following account number: 800 989 1881.

Police ask anyone with information on the case to call Crimestoppers Inc. at 504.822.1111 or 877.903.7867.